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I recently completed a home inspection to discover that the home had been inspected about three months before. The inspector who did the prior inspection touts his 35yrs of experience, stating that an inspector such as myself cannot provide the same level of service as he does. When comparing the reports, I found that I had discovered more items than he did. Now, houses change, and that can explain some discrepancies (obviously the homeowner had been working on repairs, which changed features of the home). The real difference was that the other report was done to the minimum standard for inspectors in Texas. This is not the first time that I have encountered this issue. Experience is great, but it must be coupled with the desire to always be learning. In other words, experience does not always equal knowledge. If for thirty five years I was constantly studying to improve myself, then I can state with authority that those years count. If for thirty five years, I am going through the motions of a job, then I may not be much better than when I started. Those are my thoughts on the matter.﻿

We all want that perfect lighting to set the mood. We need an outlet in that corner for our home office. Wiring our homes helps us to achieve all of this, yet electricians may not be doing you a service. Good electricians know that you always have to do a job right, but then you have those who want to do the job fast and cheap. Here is a visual home inspection guide to the branch circuits of your home.﻿

Chimneys and FireplacesA fireplace is a great thing to have for a romantic evening or the holidays, but they do not really make sense in a climate like Houston (unless it is a sealed fireplace). Here is a visual guide going over common problems with fireplaces and chimneys.﻿

If your porch is not part of the home's structure, should a home inspector be examining it? Yes. Porches, carports, and decks can effect the structure of the home, but they are also part of the property. Here is the visual guide for common problems in this area of the home inspection.﻿

Once we leave the attic, we begin to examine the walls of the home. This is often the place where we can find mold issues; we also can find energy efficiency issues; and we may encounter pest problems. What do you need to examine? Here is a visual guide of some of the common items on a home inspection report.﻿

Following yesterday's post, I am continuing to work on a page that helps explain common findings on a home inspection report in Texas. Today I deal with the next section: the Roof Covering. These photos are arranged in I how I present the data in my report. You will see photos of common issues, such as ones that will cause roof leaks or damage to the roof surface.﻿

to be comfortable in our homes, we rely on the air conditioning system. Most of us do not maintain this system. Considering that this is a big energy user in our homes, maybe we should take a look at common home inspection findings to understand what we are looking at.﻿

The next page of my visual guide to home inspections is concerning the electrical service panel. Since we often do not open our panels, we might not consider the safety issues that are lurking there for us.﻿

Ceilings and floors are not the most exciting areas during a home inspection. Do you see home inspectors showing off pictures of floors and ceilings? Some problems just cannot be photographed. Yet there are issues which can be demonstrated through pictures, so here is a guide to a few problems.﻿

How often have you been in your attic? Do you understand what you are seeing, or what might be a problem? Continuing my efforts to create a visual guide to common findings in a home inspection report, I have added several photographs to this page. There is some advice on energy efficiency and where you may be experiencing a roof leak.﻿

I am a professional real estate inspector (home inspector) in Houston, TREC# 9073. I write posts for two blogs focused on helping people to buy, sell, or live in their homes. I describe the home inspection process with advice about improving the life you lead in your home.